View source for Tornado records

{{Short description|List of world records related to tornadoes}}
[[File:Super Outbreak Map.jpg|thumb|right|A map of the tornado paths in the [[1974 Super Outbreak]]]]
This article lists various '''tornado records'''. The most "extreme" [[tornado]] in recorded history was the [[1925 Tri-State tornado|Tri-State tornado]], which spread through parts of [[Missouri]], [[Illinois]], and [[Indiana]] on March 18, 1925. It was likely an F5 on the [[Fujita Scale]] (tornadoes were not rated at the time) and holds records for longest path length at {{convert|219|mi|km}} and longest duration at about {{frac|3|1|2}} hours. The [[1974 Guin tornado]] had the highest forward speed ever recorded in a violent tornado, at {{convert|75|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The deadliest tornado in world history was the [[Daulatpur–Saturia tornado]] in Bangladesh on April 26, 1989, which killed approximately 1,300 people.<ref name="Bangladesh tornado">{{cite web| url = http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr169/qr169.pdf| title = The April 2004 Tornado in North-Central Bangladesh: A Case for Introducing Tornado Forecasting and Warning Systems| access-date = 2006-08-17| author = Paul, Bhuiyan| year = 2004| archive-date = 2006-08-23| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060823090940/http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr169/qr169.pdf| url-status = dead}}</ref> In the history of Bangladesh, at least 24 tornadoes killed more than 100 people each, almost half of the total for the world.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Finch |first1=Jonathan |last2=Dewan |first2=Ashraf |title=Bangladesh Tornado Climatology |url=https://bangladeshtornadoes.org/climo/btorcli0.htm |website=bangladeshtornadoes.org}}</ref> The most extensive [[tornado outbreak]] on record was the [[2011 Super Outbreak]], which resulted in 367 tornadoes and 324 tornadic fatalities,<ref name="super outbreak">{{cite web| url = http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/extremes/1999/april/TornOut.pdf| title = Tornado Outbreak of April 3–4, 1974; Synoptic Analysis| access-date = 2007-03-02| author = Hoxit, Lee R| author2 = Chappell, Charles F| date = October 1975| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration| archive-date = 2009-09-13| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090913165432/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/extremes/1999/april/TornOut.pdf| url-status = live}}</ref> whereas the [[1974 Super Outbreak]] was the [[List of tornado outbreaks by outbreak intensity score|most intense tornado outbreak]] on tornado expert [[Thomas P. Grazulis]]'s [[Thomas P. Grazulis#Outbreak intensity score|outbreak intensity score]] with 578, as opposed to the 2011 outbreak's 378.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |author1-link=Thomas P. Grazulis |title=Significant Tornadoes 1974–2022 |date=2023 |publisher=The Tornado Project |location=[[St. Johnsbury, Vermont]] |isbn=978-1-879362-01-7}}</ref>

== Tornado outbreaks ==

=== Most tornadoes in a single 24-hour period ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Outbreaks with 100+ tornadoes in a single 24-hour period
|-
! scope="col" | Outbreak
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | Tornadoes in 24-hour span
! scope="col" | Outbreak total
! scope="col" | F2/EF2+
! scope="col" | F4/EF4+ 
! scope="col" | Deaths
|-
| [[2011 Super Outbreak]]
| 2011
| [[United States|US]], [[Canada|CAN]]
| 223 <small>(05:00 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] April 27–28)</small><br />226 <small>(05:40 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] April 27–28)</small>
| 367<ref name="2011NCDC">{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2011|access-date=January 8, 2022|title=Storm Events Database: April 25–28, 2011|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=25&beginDate_yyyy=2011&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=28&endDate_yyyy=2011&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108160830/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=(C)+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=25&beginDate_yyyy=2011&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=28&endDate_yyyy=2011&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999,ALL|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 86
| 15
| 324
|-
| [[1974 Super Outbreak]]
| 1974
| [[United States|US]], [[Canada|CAN]]
| 148 <small>(Duration of outbreak)</small>
| 148<ref name="1974NCDC">{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=1974|access-date=January 8, 2022|title=Storm Events Database: April 3–4, 1974|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=03&beginDate_yyyy=1974&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=04&endDate_yyyy=1974&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108160829/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=(C)+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=03&beginDate_yyyy=1974&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=04&endDate_yyyy=1974&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999,ALL|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 96
| 30
| 319
|-
| [[Tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023]]
| 2023
| [[United States|US]]
| 136 <small>(19:00 UTC March 31–April 1)</small>
| 146<ref>{{cite web |title=March 31 - April 1, 2023 Tornadoes & Severe Storms |url=https://www.weather.gov/lot/2023_03_31_SevereStorms |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-date=2 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402211032/https://www.weather.gov/lot/2023_03_31_SevereStorms |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 44
| 1
| 27
|-
| [[2020 Easter tornado outbreak]]
| 2020
| [[United States|US]]
| 132 <small>(14:40 UTC April 12–13)</small>
| 141<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2011|access-date=January 8, 2022|title=Storm Events Database: April 12–13, 2020|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=12&beginDate_yyyy=2020&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=13&endDate_yyyy=2020&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108160833/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=(C)+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=12&beginDate_yyyy=2020&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=13&endDate_yyyy=2020&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999,ALL|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 35
| 3
| 32
|-
| [[December 2021 Midwest derecho and tornado outbreak]]
| 2021
| [[United States|US]]
| 120 <small>(Duration of outbreak)</small>
| 120<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2021|access-date=January 8, 2022|title=NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit|url=https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/StormDamage/DamageViewer/|archive-date=April 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423095631/https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/stormdamage/damageviewer/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 33
| 0
| 0
|-
| [[Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 1999]]
| 1999
| [[United States|US]]
| 116 <small>(21:10 UTC January 21–22)</small>
| 128<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=1999|access-date=January 8, 2023|title=Storm Events Database: January 21-22, 1999|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Tornado&beginDate_mm=01&beginDate_dd=21&beginDate_yyyy=1999&endDate_mm=01&endDate_dd=23&endDate_yyyy=1999&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL|archive-date=January 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108161818/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=(C)+Tornado&beginDate_mm=01&beginDate_dd=21&beginDate_yyyy=1999&endDate_mm=01&endDate_dd=23&endDate_yyyy=1999&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999,ALL|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 23
| 1
| 9
|-
|[[Tornado outbreak of December 28–29, 2024]]
|2024
|[[United States|US]]
|107 <small>(14:22 UTC December 28–29)</small>
|108
|6
|0
|1
|-
| [[1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak]]
| 1981
| [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| 104 <small>(Duration of outbreak)</small>
| 104<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi|title=European Severe Weather Database|website=www.eswd.eu|access-date=2022-01-08|archive-date=2020-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512020909/https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 2
| 0
| 0
|}

The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest tornado outbreak spawned by a single weather system in recorded history; it produced 367 tornadoes from April 25–28, with 223 of those in a single 24-hour period on April 27 from midnight to midnight [[Central Time Zone|CDT]],<ref name="2011NCDC"/><ref name="tornado-largest-tornado-outbreak">{{cite web|url=http://wmo.asu.edu/tornado-largest-tornado-outbreak|title=Tornado: Largest Tornado Outbreak|work=World Weather / Climate Extremes Archive|publisher=Arizona State University|access-date=2013-09-10|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926235427/http://wmo.asu.edu/tornado-largest-tornado-outbreak|archive-date=2013-09-26}}</ref> fifteen of which were violent EF4–EF5 tornadoes. 348 deaths occurred in that outbreak, of which 324 were tornado-related. The outbreak largely contributed to the record for most tornadoes in April with [[List of United States tornadoes in April 2011|780 tornadoes]], almost triple the prior record (267 in April 1974). The overall record for a single month was 542 in May 2003, which was also broken.<ref name="April 2011 tornado information">{{cite web|title=April 2011 tornado information|url=http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/april_2011_tornado_information.html|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]|access-date=2011-05-03|archive-date=2011-05-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511082657/http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/april_2011_tornado_information.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 1974 Super Outbreak of April 3–4, which spawned 148 confirmed tornadoes across eastern North America, held the record for the most prolific tornado outbreak in terms of overall tornadoes for many years, and as of October 2025, it still holds the record for most violent, long-track tornadoes (7 F5 and 23 F4 tornadoes). More significant tornadoes occurred within 24&nbsp;hours than any other day on record.<ref name="1974NCDC"/><ref name="tornado outbreak sequences">{{cite conference |first=Russell |last=Schneider |author2=H.E. Brooks |author3=J.T. Schaefer |title=Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: historic events and climatology (1875–2003) |book-title=22nd Conf Severe Local Storms |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |date=October 2004 |location=Hyannis, MA |url=http://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_81933.htm |access-date=2007-06-02 |archive-date=2011-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609163511/http://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_81933.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to advancements in technology allowing for more accuracy in tornado reporting, the 2011 and 1974 tornado counts are not directly comparable.

=== Most violent tornadoes (F4/EF4 and F5/EF5) in an outbreak ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Outbreaks with fifteen or more F4/EF4 and F5/EF5 tornadoes
|-
! scope="col" | Outbreak
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | F4/EF4
! scope="col" | F5/EF5 
! scope="col" | Total
! scope="col" | Deaths
|-
| [[1974 Super Outbreak]]
| 1974
| [[United States|US]], [[Canada|CAN]]
| 23
| 7
| 30<ref name="1974NCDC"/>
| 319
|-
| [[1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak]]
| 1965
| [[United States|US]]
| 18
| 0
| 18<ref>{{cite web |title=April 11th 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak |url=https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |publisher=Storm Prediction Center |access-date=23 April 2023 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404011605/https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 271
|-
| [[May–June 1917 tornado outbreak sequence]]
| 1917
| [[United States|US]]
| 14
| 1
| 15<ref>{{cite web |title=The Mattoon-Charleston Tornado Disaster of May 26, 1917 |url=https://www.weather.gov/ilx/26may1917 |publisher=Storm Prediction Center |access-date=23 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418175651/https://www.weather.gov/ilx/26may1917 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 383
|-
| [[2011 Super Outbreak]]
| 2011
| [[United States|US]], [[Canada|CAN]]
| 11
| 4
| 15<ref name="2011NCDC"/>
| 324
|}

=== Longest continuous outbreak and largest autumnal outbreak ===
Most tornado outbreaks in North America occur in the spring, but there is a secondary peak of tornado activity in the fall. It is historically less consistent from year to year but can include exceptionally large or intense outbreaks. In 1992, an estimated [[November 1992 tornado outbreak|95 tornadoes]] broke out in a record 41&nbsp;hours of continuous [[November 1992 tornado outbreak|tornado activity]] from November 21 to 23. This is also among the largest-known outbreaks in areal expanse. Many other very large outbreaks have occurred in autumn, especially in October and November, such as the [[Tornado outbreak of November 9–11, 2002|2002 Veterans Day weekend]] outbreak, in which 83 tornadoes occurred from November 9 to 11, and [[Tornado outbreak of November 17, 2013|November 17, 2013]], when 73 tornadoes were produced in 11 hours.<ref name="Significant Tornadoes">{{cite book |last=Grazulis |first=Thomas P. |author-link=Thomas P. Grazulis |title=Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events |date=July 1993 |publisher=The Tornado Project of Environmental Films |isbn=1-879362-03-1 |location=St. Johnsbury, VT}}</ref>

=== Greatest number of tornadoes spawned from a hurricane ===
The greatest number of tornadoes spawned from a hurricane is 120 from [[Hurricane Ivan tornado outbreak|Hurricane Ivan]] in September 2004, followed by [[Hurricane Beulah]] with 115 in September 1967, and 103 from [[Hurricane Frances tornado outbreak|Hurricane Frances]] in September 2004 (a couple weeks before Ivan).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Edwards|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Edwards (meteorologist)|title=Tropical Cyclone Tornadoes: A Review of Knowledge in Research and Prediction|journal=e-Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology|year=2012|volume=7|issue=6|page=3|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/edwards/ejssmtct.pdf|access-date=2013-05-22|doi=10.55599/ejssm.v7i6.42|doi-access=free|archive-date=2013-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510042401/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/edwards/ejssmtct.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Hurricanes prior to the 1990s, when tornado records were more sparse, perhaps produced more tornadoes than were officially documented.

== Tornadoes annually and monthly ==

=== Most tornadoes for each calendar month ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Highest confirmed number of tornadoes by month in United States
!Month
!January
!February
!March
!April
!May
!June
!July
!August
!September
!October
!November
!December
|-
|Year
|[[Tornadoes of 1999#January|1999]]
|[[List of United States tornadoes from January to February 2008#February|2008]]
|[[List of United States tornadoes from January to March 2025#March|2025]]
|[[List of United States tornadoes in April 2011|2011]]
|[[Tornadoes of 2024|2024]]
|[[Tornadoes of 1992#June|1992]]
|[[Tornadoes of 1993#July|1993]]
|[[Tornadoes of 2020#August|2020]]
|[[Tornadoes of 2004#September|2004]]
|[[Tornadoes of 2021#October|2021]]
|[[Tornadoes of 1992#November|1992]]
|[[List of United States tornadoes in December 2021|2021]]
|-
|Total
|216<ref>Keli Tarp (December 27, 1999). "[http://www.norman.noaa.gov/1999/12/1999-tornado-summary/ 1999 tornado summary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219213241/http://www.norman.noaa.gov/1999/12/1999-tornado-summary/ |date=2013-02-19 }}". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 13, 2013.</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Center |first=Storm Prediction |title=NOAA's NWS Storm Prediction Center Forecast Tools |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/monthly/newm.html |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=www.spc.noaa.gov |language=EN-US |archive-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129222913/https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/monthly/newm.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|147<ref name=":0" />
|236<ref name=":0" />{{efn|text=While the [[Tornadoes of 2025|2025 tornado season]] has had more March tornado reports with 235, that total is considered preliminary until finalized figures are released.}}
|780<ref name=":0" />
|545<ref name=":0" />{{efn|text=While the [[Tornadoes of 2024|2024 tornado season]] has had more May tornado reports with 571, that total is considered preliminary until finalized figures are released.}}
|399<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-30 |title=Tornado History Project: 1992 |url=http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1992/table |access-date=2022-12-01 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130220520/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1992/table |archive-date=2020-01-30 }}</ref>
|242<ref name=":0" />
|182<ref name=":0" />
|297<ref name=":0" />
|150<ref name=":0" />
|161<ref name=":0" />
|227<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=December U.S. Tornado Record Smashed by Two Outbreaks in Five Days; New State Record For Iowa |url=https://weather.com/safety/tornado/news/2021-12-21-december-tornadoes-record-outbreaks |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=The Weather Channel |language=en-US |archive-date=2021-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221215558/https://weather.com/safety/tornado/news/2021-12-21-december-tornadoes-record-outbreaks |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Largest continuous tornado outbreak by month
!Month
!Event
!Tornadoes
|-
!January
|[[Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 1999]]
|128
|-
!February
|[[2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak]]
|87
|-
!March
|[[Tornado outbreak of March 13–16, 2025]]{{efn|Although the [[tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023]] had 146 tornadoes in total, only 115 occurred on March 31.|name=March Outbreak}}
|118
|-
!April
|[[2011 Super Outbreak]]
|367
|-
!May
|[[Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2019]]
|402
|-
!June
|[[Tornado outbreak of June 14–18, 1992]]
|170
|-
!July
|[[Severe weather sequence of July 13–16, 2024]]
|90
|-
!August
|[[Hurricane Katrina tornado outbreak]]
|57
|-
!September
|[[Hurricane Ivan tornado outbreak]]
|120
|-
!October
|[[October 2010 North American storm complex]]
|69
|-
!November
|[[Tornado outbreak of November 22–24, 2004]]
[[1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak]]
|104
|-
!December
|[[December 2021 Midwest derecho and tornado outbreak]]
|120
|}

=== Most tornadoes in a single year ===
On average, 1,200 tornadoes happen in a year in the United States. The most confirmed tornadoes in a single year was in [[Tornadoes of 2004|2004]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Annual Tornado Maps (1952-2011) |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/annualtornadomaps/2004.png |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=SPC |archive-date=2023-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109184735/https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/annualtornadomaps/2004.png |url-status=live }}</ref> which had 1817 confirmed tornadoes. This was mostly boosted by a large tornado outbreak sequence in May 2004, where 509 tornadoes occurred. It also had help from a very active fall and winter tornado season.

== Tornado casualties and damage ==

=== Deadliest single tornado in world history ===
Officially, the deadliest single tornado occurred on April 26, 1989, in Bangladesh, where a [[Daulatpur–Saturia tornado|large tornado]] took at least 1,300 lives.<ref>{{cite web|last=Grazulis |first=Tom |author-link=Thomas P. Grazulis |title=Tornadoes in Bangladesh |work=Worldwide Tornadoes |publisher=The Tornado Project |year=2000 |url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/bangladesh.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919111413/http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/bangladesh.htm |archive-date=2012-09-19 }}</ref> In 2022, this tornado's death toll was challenged in a database of Bangladeshi tornadoes maintained by Dr. Fahim Sufi with the [[Australian Government]], claiming that the April 14, 1969, [[Dhaka]] tornado, which killed 922 people, was the deadliest in Bangladesh, with the Jamalpur tornado killing only 570.<ref name="2023 Sustainability">{{cite journal |author1=Fahim Sufi |author2=Edris Alam |author3=Musleh Alsulami |editor1-last=Ishizaka |editor1-first=Alessio |title=A New Decision Support System for Analyzing Factors of Tornado Related Deaths in Bangladesh |journal=Sustainability |date=22 May 2022 |volume=14 |issue=10 |page=6303 |doi=10.3390/su14106303 |url=https://www.academia.edu/84087463 |access-date=12 August 2023 |publisher=Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |language=English |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022Sust...14.6303S |archive-date=9 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909162342/https://www.academia.edu/84087463 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Deadliest single tornado in US history ===
The [[1925 Tri-State tornado|Tri-State tornado]] of March 18, 1925, killed 695&nbsp;people in Missouri (11), Illinois (613), and Indiana (71). The outbreak it occurred with was also the deadliest known tornado outbreak, with a combined death toll of 747 across the [[Mississippi River Valley]].<ref name="NOAA/NWS 1925 Tri-State Tornado Statistics">{{cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/pah/1925Tornado_ss|title=NOAA/NWS 1925 Tri-State Tornado Web Site—''Startling Statistics''|publisher=National Weather Service|access-date=June 17, 2019|archive-date=March 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320194752/https://www.weather.gov/pah/1925Tornado_ss|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Tri-State Tornado Facts">{{cite web|url=https://www.factsjustforkids.com/weather-facts/tornado-facts-for-kids/tornado-history/1925-tri-state-tornado.html|title=Tri-State Tornado Facts|website=factsjustforkids.com|access-date=June 17, 2019|archive-date=June 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617205052/https://www.factsjustforkids.com/weather-facts/tornado-facts-for-kids/tornado-history/1925-tri-state-tornado.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Most intense tornado damage ===
The original [[Fujita scale]], developed by [[Ted Fujita]], has never been used to assign a final rating over F5 intensity;{{efn |The Fujita scale historically only ever assigned final ratings from F0 through F5, however, did account for ratings up to F12. Ratings above F6 were never seriously considered.<ref>Fujita, T. Theodore (February 1971) [https://swco-ir.tdl.org/handle/10605/261875 "Proposed characterization of tornadoes and hurricanes by area and intensity"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512210113/https://swco-ir.tdl.org/handle/10605/261875 |date=2023-05-12 }}. SMRP (Satellite and Mesometeorology Research Project) Research Paper 91 (Department of the Geophysical Sciences,  University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA) 42 pages.</ref>}}  however, two tornadoes, the [[1970 Lubbock tornado]] and [[1974 Xenia tornado]], were initially given F6 ratings by Fujita himself, but both were eventually downgraded to F5 ratings.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Roger Edwards (SPC) |author2=Matthew S. Elliott (SPC) |author3=Patrick T. Marsh (SPC |author4=Douglas A. Speheger (NWS) |title=Errors, Oddities and Artifacts in U.S. Tornado Data, 1995–2021 |journal=Storm Prediction Center Publications |pages=1–10 |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/edwards/oddities.pdf |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111015141/https://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/edwards/oddities.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/ohx/PDF/fujita_april31974.pdf |last=Fujita |first=T. Theodore |author-link=Ted Fujita |title=Jumbo Tornado Outbreak of 3 April 1974 |year=1974 |access-date=23 June 2024 |archive-date=1 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001234232/https://www.weather.gov/media/ohx/PDF/fujita_april31974.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[1976 Jordan tornado]] was described by Fujita as the most intense tornado damage he had surveyed up to that point.<ref>{{cite conference |url=https://ams.confex.com/ams/26SLS/webprogram/Paper212341.html |title=Revisiting the 1976 Jordan Iowa F5 tornado: A case of subtle forcing with extreme sensitivity of WRF simulations to initial conditions |first1=William A. |last1=Gallus Jr. |date=7 November 2012 |conference=26th Conference on Severe Local Storms |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] }}</ref>

A more recent example of extreme damage was at the Double Creek Estates of [[Jarrell, Texas]]; the [[1997 Jarrell tornado]] stalled over the area at peak F5 intensity, destroying every home in the subdivision, and killing 27. Extreme ground scouring and high-end F5 damage was surveyed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/twenty-years-look-back-jarrell-tornado-catastrophe |title=Twenty Years On: A Look Back at the Jarrell Tornado Catastrophe |publisher=[[Weather Underground (weather service)|Weather Underground]] |date=26 May 2017 |access-date=24 June 2024 |archive-date=17 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117174410/https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/twenty-years-look-back-jarrell-tornado-catastrophe |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[2008 Parkersburg tornado]] was reported by mayor Bob Haylock to have been so intense that a majority of the fatalities out of [[Parkersburg, Iowa|Parkersburg]] were from people taking shelter in basements underground.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fosters.com/story/news/2008/05/27/iowa-town-measures-loss-after/52398834007/ |title=Iowa town measures the loss after deadly tornado |publisher=[[Foster's Daily Democrat]] |date=27 May 2008 |access-date=24 June 2024 |archive-date=24 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624195120/https://www.fosters.com/story/news/2008/05/27/iowa-town-measures-loss-after/52398834007/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[2011 Philadelphia, Mississippi tornado]] caused extreme ground scouring across its path; up to {{cvt|.5|meters|feet}} of soil was removed from the environment, presumably from intense [[Multi-vortex tornado|subvortices]].<ref name="BAMS">{{cite journal|author=Kevin R. Knupp |display-authors=etal |journal=[[Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society]] |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |date=July 2014 |title=Meteorological Overview of the Devastating 27 April 2011 Tornado Outbreak |volume=95 |issue=7 |pages=1041–1062 |doi=10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00229.1 |bibcode=2014BAMS...95.1041K |s2cid=22335326 }}</ref>

=== Most damaging tornado ===
The [[1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado]] on May 27, incurred the most damages adjusted for inflation, with an estimated $5.36 billion (2022 USD). In raw numbers, the [[2011 Joplin tornado|Joplin tornado]] of May 22, 2011, is considered the costliest tornado in recent history, with damage totals at $3.71 billion (2022 USD). Until April 2011, the [[1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado|Bridge Creek–Moore tornado]] of May 3, 1999, was the most costly, which was later surpassed by the [[2011 Tuscaloosa–Birmingham tornado]], with a damage total of $3.18 billion (2022 USD).<ref name="tornado damage normalization">{{cite journal |last=Brooks |first=Harold E. |author-link=Harold E. Brooks |author2=Charles A. Doswell III  |title=Normalized Damage from Major Tornadoes in the United States: 1890–1999 |journal=[[Weather and Forecasting]] |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=168–176 |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |date=February 2001 |doi=10.1175/1520-0434(2001)016<0168:NDFMTI>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode = 2001WtFor..16..168B |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1234647 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Lists of damage and fatality records ===
{{10 deadliest tornadoes worldwide}}
{{10 deadliest Canadian tornadoes}}
{{10 deadliest US tornadoes}}
{{25 deadliest US tornadoes}}
{{10 costliest US tornadoes}}
{{Deadliest tornadoes by state}}

== Largest and most powerful tornadoes ==
=== Highest winds observed in a tornado ===
{{main|List of tornadoes observed by mobile radars}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Wind speed of {{convert|261|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} or 116&nbsp;m/s in tornadoes observed by radar, organized by the highest confirmed wind speed.
|-
! scope="col" style="width:4%;" class="unsortable"| Official rating
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Date
! scope="col" style="width:15%;" class="unsortable"| Location
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Minimum peak wind speed
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Maximum peak wind speed
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Highest confirmed peak wind speed
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat5}}" |F5
| {{dts|May 3, 1999}}
| [[1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado|Bridge Creek, Oklahoma]]
| {{convert|281|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|321|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| '''{{convert|321|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}'''{{efn|The exact statement, released in June 2024, from the [[University of Illinois]]’ [[Doppler on Wheels]] team regarding this wind speed is:<br/>“Wurman et al. 2007 originally reported 302 mph in the Bridgecreek, Oklahoma, 3 May 1999 tornado. This was subsequently revised upwards in Wurman et al. 2021, to 321 mph, using improved techniques.”<ref name="Dow2024"/>|name=1999 Moore}}
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|In 2007, [[Joshua Wurman]] along with other researchers, published that a [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded {{convert|135|m/s|mph km/h|abbr=on}} approximately {{convert|32|m|ft}} above the radar level.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1175/BAMS-88-1-31| title=Low-Level Winds in Tornadoes and Potential Catastrophic Tornado Impacts in Urban Areas| journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society| volume=88| issue=1| pages=31–46| year=2007| last1=Wurman| first1=Joshua| last2=Alexander| first2=Curtis| last3=Robinson| first3=Paul| last4=Richardson| first4=Yvette| bibcode=2007BAMS...88...31W| doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="2024RadarPaper">{{cite journal |last1=Lyza |first1=Anthony W. |last2=Flournoy |first2=Matthew D. |last3=Alford |first3=A. Addison |title=Comparison of Tornado Damage Characteristics to Low-Altitude WSR-88D Radar Observations and Implications for Tornado Intensity Estimation |journal=[[Monthly Weather Review]] |date=19 March 2024 |volume=-1 |issue=aop |pages=1689–1710 |doi=10.1175/MWR-D-23-0242.1 |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/aop/MWR-D-23-0242.1/MWR-D-23-0242.1.xml |access-date=19 March 2024 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] and [[University of Oklahoma]] via the [[American Meteorological Society]] |bibcode=2024MWRv..152.1689L |archive-date=28 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428005058/https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/aop/MWR-D-23-0242.1/MWR-D-23-0242.1.xml |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, Wurman along with other researchers, revised the data using improved techniques and published that the Doppler on Wheels actually recorded {{convert|321|mph|km/h}} in the tornado.<ref name="FARM">{{cite journal |last1=Wurman |first1=Joshua |last2=Kosiba |first2=Karen |last3=Pereira |first3=Brian |last4=Robinson |first4=Paul |last5=Frambach |first5=Andrew |last6=Gilliland |first6=Alycia |last7=White |first7=Trevor |last8=Aikins |first8=Josh |last9=Trapp |first9=Robert J. |last10=Nesbitt |first10=Stephen |last11=Hanshaw |first11=Maiana N. |last12=Lutz |first12=Jon |title=The Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM) |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |date=August 2021 |volume=102 |issue=8 |pages=E1499–E1525 |doi=10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0285.1 |bibcode=2021BAMS..102E1499W |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/102/8/BAMS-D-20-0285.1.xml |access-date=25 June 2024 |archive-date=30 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430051554/https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/102/8/BAMS-D-20-0285.1.xml |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Dow2024"/>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat3}}|EF3
| {{dts|May 31, 2013}}
| [[2013 El Reno tornado|El Reno, Oklahoma]]
| {{convert|296|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|336|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| '''{{convert|313|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}'''
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded winds between {{convert|257|-|336|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} at or less than {{convert|100|m|ft}} above the radar level in a suction vortex inside the tornado.<ref name="2024RadarPaper"/> This was later revised by the Doppler on Wheels team to {{convert|291|-|336|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Dow2024"/> In 2015, [[Howard Bluestein]], along with other researchers, reported that the radar did capture at least a moment of winds of {{convert|313|mph|km/h}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bluestein |first1=Howard B. |last2=Snyder |first2=Jeffrey C. |last3=Houser |first3=Jana B. |date=2015-06-01 |title=A Multiscale Overview of the El Reno, Oklahoma, Tornadic Supercell of 31 May 2013 |journal=Weather and Forecasting |language=EN |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=525–552 |doi=10.1175/WAF-D-14-00152.1 |bibcode=2015WtFor..30..525B |issn=1520-0434 |doi-access=free }}</ref> This tornado is notable for causing the death of 3 team [[TWISTEX]] researchers and was the first tornado recorded to kill storm chasers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Finger |first1=Stan |title=Storm chasers' deaths in Oklahoma tornado prompt questions, calls for regulation |url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article320492/Storm-chasers%E2%80%99-deaths-in-Oklahoma-tornado-prompt-questions-calls-for-regulation.html |publisher=The Kansas CIty Star |access-date=16 March 2025 |date=4 June 2013}}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat4}}" |EF4
| {{dts|May 21, 2024}}
| [[2024 Greenfield tornado|Greenfield, Iowa]]
| {{convert|309|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|318|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| '''≥{{convert|309|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}'''{{Efn|In the 2024 university of Illinois publication, no exact windspeed was specified, only a range between 309 and 318. Therefore, the highest windspeed that can be confirmed is the minimum of the range.}}
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded winds of {{convert|263|-|271|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} approximately {{convert|30|-|50|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the radar level. Following calculations to more accurately determine peak wind speeds, it was published that ground-relative winds of {{convert|309|-|318|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} could be observed briefly to the immediate east of the main circulation.<ref name="Dow2024">{{cite web |title=Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM) statement concerning preliminary peak wind speed determinations based on Doppler On Wheels (DOW) data obtained in the Greenfield, Iowa tornado of 21 May 2024 |url=http://www.farmfacility.org/pdf/best-greenfield-windspeed-note-2024-0623bp2.pdf |publisher=[[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign|University of Illinois]] |access-date=24 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624040232/http://publish.illinois.edu/dowfacility-upgrade/files/2024/06/best-greenfield-windspeed-note-2024-0623bp2.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2024 |location=[[Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area]] |date=23 June 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat5}}|EF5
| {{dts|May 24, 2011}}
| [[2011 El Reno–Piedmont tornado|Hinton, Oklahoma]]
| {{convert|289|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|296|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| '''{{convert|295.5|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}'''
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|[[RaXPol]] recorded a wind gust of {{convert|124.8|m/s|mph km/h|abbr=on}} about {{convert|60-70|m|ft|order=flip}} above the radar level.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Houser |first1=Jana Lesak |last2=Bluestein |first2=Howard B. |last3=Snyder |first3=Jeffrey C. |date=2016-11-01 |title=A Finescale Radar Examination of the Tornadic Debris Signature and Weak-Echo Reflectivity Band Associated with a Large, Violent Tornado |journal=Monthly Weather Review |language=EN |volume=144 |issue=11 |pages=4101–4130 |doi=10.1175/MWR-D-15-0408.1 |issn=1520-0493 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2016MWRv..144.4101H }}</ref> However, this data was later revised to be {{convert|132.1|m/s|mph km/h|abbr=on}} at {{convert|22|m|ft|order=flip|abbr=on}} above the radar level.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Snyder |first1=Jeffrey C. |last2=Bluestein |first2=Howard B. |date=2014-08-01 |title=Some Considerations for the Use of High-Resolution Mobile Radar Data in Tornado Intensity Determination |journal=Weather and Forecasting |language=EN |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=799–827 |doi=10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1 |issn=1520-0434 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2014WtFor..29..799S }}</ref><ref name="2024RadarPaper"/>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat4}}" |F4
| {{dts|April 26, 1991}}
| [[1991 Andover tornado outbreak#Red Rock, Oklahoma|Ceres, Oklahoma]]
| {{convert|268|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|280|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| '''{{convert|280|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}'''
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[University of Oklahoma]] chase team headed by [[Howard Bluestein]] utilized mobile [[doppler weather radar]] to analyze the tornado. The radar measured peak winds of {{convert|120|–|125|m/s|mph km/h|abbr=on}} between {{convert|150|-|190|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the surface.<ref name="2024RadarPaper"/> At the time, this represented the strongest winds ever measured by radar, including the first measurements of F5 intensity winds.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Howard Bluestein|author2=James Ladue|author3=Herbert Stein|author4=Douglas Speheger|author5=Wesley Unruh|title=Doppler Radar Wind Spectra of Supercell Tornadoes|journal=Monthly Weather Review|volume=121|issue=8|date=August 1, 1993|pages=2,200–2,222|doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1993)121<2200:DRWSOS>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1993MWRv..121.2200B |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Grazulis2001a">{{cite book|last1=Grazulis|first1=Thomas P.|title=The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm|url=https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz|url-access=registration|date=2001a|publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]]|location=[[Norman, Oklahoma|Norman]]|isbn=978-0-8061-3538-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/109 109]}}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat4}}" |F4
| {{dts|May 30, 1998}}
| [[1998 Spencer tornado|Spencer, South Dakota]]
| {{convert|234|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|266|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| '''{{convert|264|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}'''
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded winds of {{convert|264|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} "well below" {{convert|50|m|ft}} above the ground level, "perhaps as low as {{convert|5|-|10|m|ft}} above the radar level".<ref name="Spencer98">{{cite journal |last1=Wurman |first1=Joshua |last2=Alexander |first2=Curtis R. |title=The 30 May 1998 Spencer, South Dakota, Storm. Part II: Comparison of Observed Damage and Radar-Derived Winds in the Tornadoes |journal=Monthly Weather Review |date=1 January 2005 |volume=133 |issue=1 |pages=97–119 |doi=10.1175/MWR-2856.1 |bibcode=2005MWRv..133...97W |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="2024RadarPaper"/> The Doppler on Wheels also recorded a confirmed five-second wind speed average of {{convert|112|m/s|mph km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Spencer98"/>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat3}}|EF3
| {{dts|May 28, 2013}}
| [[Tornado outbreak of May 26–31, 2013#Bennington, Kansas|Bennington, Kansas]]
| {{N/A}}<!--{{convert|0|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}-->
| {{N/A}}<!--{{convert|0|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}-->
| '''{{convert|264|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}'''
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded winds of {{convert|264|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} approximately {{convert|153|ft|m|abbr=on}} above the ground level.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wurman |first1=Joshua |last2=Kosiba |first2=Karen |last3=Robinson |first3=Paul |last4=Marshall |first4=Tim |date=2014-01-01 |title=The Role of Multiple-Vortex Tornado Structure in Causing Storm Researcher Fatalities |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |language=EN |volume=95 |issue=1 |pages=31–45 |doi=10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00221.1|doi-access=free |bibcode=2014BAMS...95...31W }}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat4}}" |F4
| {{dts|May 3, 1999}}
| [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak#Cimarron City–Mulhall–Perry, Oklahoma|Mulhall, Oklahoma]]
| {{convert|246|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|299|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| '''{{convert|257|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}'''
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[Doppler on Wheels]] documented the largest-ever-observed core flow circulation with a distance of {{convert|abbr=on|1600|m}} between peak velocities on either side of the tornado, and a roughly {{convert|abbr=on|7|km}} width of peak wind gusts exceeding {{convert|abbr=on|43|m/s|mph}}, making the Mulhall tornado the largest tornado ever measured quantitatively.<ref name="urban">{{cite journal |last=Wurman |first=Joshua |author2=C. Alexander|author3=P. Robinson|author4=Y. Richardson |title=Low-Level Winds in Tornadoes and Potential Catastrophic Tornado Impacts in Urban Areas |journal=[[Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society]] |volume=88 |issue=1 |pages=31–46 |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |date=January 2007 |doi=10.1175/BAMS-88-1-31 |bibcode = 2007BAMS...88...31W |doi-access=free }}</ref> The DOW measured a complex [[Multiple-vortex tornado|multi-vortex]] structure,<ref name="multivortex">{{cite journal |last=Wurman |first=Joshua |author-link= Joshua Wurman |title=The Multiple-Vortex Structure of a Tornado |journal=Weather Forecast. |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=473–505 |date=June 2002 |doi=10.1175/1520-0434(2002)017<0473:TMVSOA>2.0.CO;2 |issn=1520-0434 |bibcode = 2002WtFor..17..473W|doi-access=free }}</ref> with several vortices containing winds of up to {{convert|abbr=on|115|m/s|mph}} rotating around the tornado. The 3D structure of the tornado has been analyzed in a 2005 article in the ''[[Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences]]'' by Wen-Chau Lee and [[Joshua Wurman]].<ref name="axisymmetric structure">{{cite journal |last=Lee |first=Wen-Chau |author2=J. Wurman |title=Diagnosed Three-Dimensional Axisymmetric Structure of the Mulhall Tornado on 3 May 1999 |journal=J. Atmos. Sci. |volume=62 |issue=7 |pages=2373–93 |date=July 2005 |doi=10.1175/JAS3489.1 |bibcode=2005JAtS...62.2373L |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1234581 |doi-access=free |access-date=25 June 2024 |archive-date=18 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818044251/https://zenodo.org/record/1234581 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2024, it was published that the radar did measure winds of approximately {{convert|257|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} approximately {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the radar level.<ref name="2024RadarPaper"/>
|-
|}

During the F5 [[1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado]] on May 3, 1999, in the southern [[Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area|Oklahoma City metro]] area, a [[Doppler on Wheels]] situated near the tornado measured winds of {{convert|301|+/-|20|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} momentarily in a small area inside the funnel approximately {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}} above ground level.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wurman |first=Joshua |author-link=Joshua Wurman |year=2007 |title=Doppler On Wheels |url=http://www.cswr.org/dow/DOW.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719102124/http://www.cswr.org/dow/DOW.htm |archive-date=2011-07-19 |publisher=Center for Severe Weather Research}}</ref> The measured winds in this tornado have been updated to {{convert|321|mph|km/h}}.<ref name="Dow2024" />

On May 31, 2013, a tornado hit rural areas near [[El Reno, Oklahoma]]. The tornado was originally rated as an EF3 based on damage; however, after mobile radar data analysis was conducted, it was concluded to have been an EF5 due to a measured wind speed of greater than {{convert|296|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, second only to the Bridge Creek–Moore tornado. Revised RaXPol analysis found winds of {{convert|302|+/-|34|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} well above ground level and ≥{{convert|291|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} below {{convert|10|m|ft|abbr=on}} with some subvortices moving at {{convert|175|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="RaXPol">{{cite journal |author=Snyder, Jeff |author2=Bluestein, H. B. |date=2014 |title=Some Considerations for the Use of High-Resolution Mobile Radar Data in Tornado Intensity Determination |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1234617 |journal=Weather Forecast. |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=799–827 |bibcode=2014WtFor..29..799S |doi=10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1 |s2cid=122669043 |doi-access=free |access-date=2019-06-27 |archive-date=2020-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906161038/https://zenodo.org/record/1234617 |url-status=live }}</ref> These winds may possibly be as high or higher than the winds recorded on May&nbsp;3, 1999. Despite the recorded windspeed, the El Reno tornado was later downgraded back to EF3 due to the fact that no EF5 damage was found, likely due to the lack of sufficient damage indicators in the largely-rural area west of [[Oklahoma City]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Samenow |first=Jason |date=June 4, 2013 |title=Deadly El Reno, Okla. tornado was widest ever measured on Earth, had nearly 300 mph winds |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/06/04/deadly-el-reno-okla-tornado-was-widest-ever-measured-on-earth-had-nearly-300-mph-winds/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 17, 2017 |archive-date=May 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509032931/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/06/04/deadly-el-reno-okla-tornado-was-widest-ever-measured-on-earth-had-nearly-300-mph-winds/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wright |first=Celine |date=June 4, 2013 |title=Discovery Channel to air special for fallen 'Storm Chasers' |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-discovery-channel-to-host-special-for-storm-chasers20130604,0,3911911.story |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 5, 2013 |archive-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225014237/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-discovery-channel-to-host-special-for-storm-chasers20130604,0,3911911.story |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the [[2024 Greenfield tornado|Greenfield, Iowa EF4]] on May 21, 2024, [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded wind speeds of {{Convert|263–271|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in a very small swath inside the funnel approximately {{Convert|100-106|ft|m|abbr=on}} above radar level as the tornado went through town. After doing some mathematical and physics-based calculations, the researchers determined those measured winds were equivalent to {{Convert|309–318|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The calculated minimum wind threshold as stated beats both the [[1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado]] and the [[2013 El Reno tornado|2013 El Reno, Oklahoma tornado]] for minimum possible maximum windspeed; however, the highest confirmed peak windspeeds are lower than the 1999 tornado.<ref name="Wurman-2024">{{cite web |last1=Wurman |first1=Joshua |author1-link=Joshua Wurman |last2=Kosiba |first2=Karen |date=22 June 2024 |title=As the 2024 #BEST field season ends, a glimpse into the data collection during the Greenfield, IA tornado. Peak wind speeds as high as 309-318 mph were calculated in a narrow region 100-160 feet ARL. These are among the highest wind speeds ever determined using DOW data. |url=https://x.com/dowfacility/status/1804575739330613507 |access-date=22 June 2024 |website=[[Twitter|𝕏]] (Formerly [[Twitter]]) |publisher=[[Doppler on Wheels]] |format=Post on [[Twitter|𝕏]] |location=[[University of Illinois System|University of Illinois]] |archive-date=22 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240522183736/https://x.com/DOWFacility/status/1793317945294094337 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=23 June 2024 |title=Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM) statement concerning preliminary peak wind speed determinations based on Doppler On Wheels (DOW) data obtained in the Greenfield, Iowa tornado of 21 May 2024 |url=http://publish.illinois.edu/dowfacility-upgrade/files/2024/06/best-greenfield-windspeed-note-2024-0623bp2.pdf |website=Illinois edu |access-date=23 June 2024 |archive-date=24 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624040232/http://publish.illinois.edu/dowfacility-upgrade/files/2024/06/best-greenfield-windspeed-note-2024-0623bp2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Winds were measured at {{convert|262|-|280|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} using portable [[Weather radar#Velocity|Doppler weather radar]] in the [[Red Rock, Oklahoma]], tornado during the [[April 26, 1991 tornado outbreak|April 26, 1991, tornado outbreak]] in north-central Oklahoma. Though these winds are possibly indicative of F5 intensity, this particular tornado's path never encountered any significant structures and caused minimal damage, so it was rated F4.<ref name="doppler spectra">{{cite journal |last=Bluestein |first=Howard B. |author-link=Howard B. Bluestein |author2=J.G. Ladue |author3=H. Stein |author4=D. Speheger |author5=W.P. Unruh |title=Doppler Radar Wind Spectra of Supercell Tornadoes |journal=[[Monthly Weather Review]] |volume=121 |issue=8 |pages=2200–22 |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |date=August 1993 |doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1993)121<2200:DRWSOS>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode = 1993MWRv..121.2200B |doi-access=free }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Wind speed of {{convert|300|mph|m/s|abbr=on}} or above estimated in tornadoes, organized chronologically.
|-
! scope="col" style="width:4%;" class="unsortable"| Accepted rating
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Date
! scope="col" style="width:10%;" class="unsortable"| Location
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Low end peak wind estimate
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| High end peak wind estimate
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Method
! scope="col" style="width:3%;"| Estimating researcher / organization
! scope="col" style="width:2%;:| Ref
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat5}}" |T11
| {{dts|June 29, 1764}}
| [[1764 Woldegk tornado|Woldegk, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Holy Roman Empire (now Germany)]]
| {{convert|300|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{n/a}}
| Damage survey
| [[European Severe Storms Laboratory|ESSL]]
| <ref>{{cite web |title=June 29, 1764 German F5/T11 Tornado |url=https://archive.org/details/june-29-1764-german-f5t11-tornado |website=European Severe Storms Laboratory |access-date=20 June 2023 |date=5 December 2022}}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat5}}" |F5
| {{dts|March 18, 1925}}
| [[1925 Tri-State tornado|Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, United States]]
| {{n/a}}
| >{{convert|300|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| Damage survey
| [[National Weather Service|NWS]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/pah/1925Tornado_ss |title=NOAA/NWS 1925 Tri-State Tornado Web Site--Startling Statistics |publisher=[[National Weather Service Paducah, Kentucky]] |access-date=24 June 2024 |archive-date=20 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320194752/https://www.weather.gov/pah/1925Tornado_ss |url-status=live }}</ref> 
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat4}}" |F4
| {{dts|July 20, 1931}}
| [[1931 Lublin tornado|Lublin, Poland]]
| {{convert|246|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|336|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| [[Dynamic pressure]]
| Gumulski
| <ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Monthly Weather Review]] |title=Deadly Tornadoes in Poland from 1820 to 2015 |first1=Mateusz |last1=Taszarek |first2=Jakub |last2=Gromadzki |date=2017 |volume=145 |issue=4 |pages=1221–1243 |doi=10.1175/MWR-D-16-0146.1 |bibcode=2017MWRv..145.1221T |doi-access=free }}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat5}}" |F5
| {{dts|May 15, 1968}}
| [[1968 Hansell-Charles City tornado|Charles City, Iowa, United States]]
| {{convert|200|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|300|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| Damage survey
| [[National Weather Service|NWS]]
| <ref name= "charlescity">{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=Photos of the May 15, 1968 Northeast Iowa Tornadoes |url=https://www.weather.gov/arx/may151968photos |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=www.weather.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat5}}" |F5
| {{dts|April 3, 1974}}
| [[1974 Guin tornado|Guin, Alabama, United States]]
| {{n/a}}
| {{convert|285|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| Acoustic analysis
| [[University of Mississippi]]
| <ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1934/ML19347C850.pdf |title=Determination of Tornado Wind Speeds from Tornadic Sounds |publisher=[[University of Mississippi]] |first1=R. T. |last1=Arnold |first2=H. E. |last2=Bass |date=February 1981 }}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat5}}" |F5
| {{dts|April 3, 1974}}
| [[1974 Xenia tornado|Xenia, Ohio, United States]]
| {{convert|250|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|305|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| Academic analysis
| [[Ted Fujita|Fujita]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://swco-ir.tdl.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/1ab979c1-c049-4ca9-bd16-d409e3757ae8/content |title=·New evidence from April 3-4, 1974 tornadoes |first1=T. Theodore |last1=Fujita |author-link=Ted Fujita |date=October 1975 |access-date=2024-06-24 |archive-date=2024-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240628161915/https://swco-ir.tdl.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/1ab979c1-c049-4ca9-bd16-d409e3757ae8/content |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat5}}" |F5
| {{dts|March 13, 1990}}
| [[March 1990 Central United States tornado outbreak#Hesston and Goessel tornado family|Goessel, Kansas, United States]]
| {{convert|300|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|350|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| Academic analysis
| [[Ted Fujita|Fujita]], [[Thomas P. Grazulis|Grazulis]]
| <ref>{{Cite web |title=The Fort Scott Tribune - Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1906&dat=19900410&id=b_4fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Bv8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5148,4487056 |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=news.google.com |archive-date=2023-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217060957/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1906&dat=19900410&id=b_4fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Bv8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5148,4487056 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Thomas P. Grazulis|title=Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991|date=July 1993|publisher=The Tornado Project of Environmental Films|location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont|isbn=1-879362-03-1}}</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat4}}" |F4
| {{dts|June 8, 1995}}
| [[Tornado outbreak of June 8, 1995#Pampa, Texas|Pampa, Texas, United States]]
| {{convert|300|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| >{{convert|318|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| [[Photogrammetry]]
| [[Thomas P. Grazulis|Grazulis]]
| <ref>{{cite book |title=F5-F6 Tornadoes |first1=Thomas P. |last1=Grazulis |author-link=Thomas P. Grazulis |date=2001 |page=8 |publisher=Tornado Project, St. Johnsbury, VT }}</ref>
|}

While never observed, these tornadoes are believed to have had winds of {{convert|300|mph|km/h}} or above, which would make them among the strongest tornadoes in history. There is a questionable analysis of the [[Tornado outbreak sequence of May 25 – June 1, 1917#Mattoon/Charleston, Illinois|1917 Mattoon/Charleston tornado]]{{efn|The paper states that the storm was a single tornado; later analysis suggests it was most likely a [[tornado family]] that traveled 287 miles across Missouri and Illinois.}} published in the ''[[Geographical Review]]'' in 1917 that stated the tornado had strong "inflowing wind, which probably exceeded {{cvt|400|mph|km/h}}".<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Geographical Review]] |volume=4 |doi=10.2307/207291 |date=August 1917 |author=J. P. Carey |title=The Central Illinois Tornado of May 26, 1917 |issue=2 |pages=122–130 |jstor=207291 |bibcode=1917GeoRv...4..122C }}</ref> A 1968 Weather Bureau review of the [[1968 Hansell-Charles City tornado]] found intense ground scouring, and initial estimates for wind speeds reached {{convert|528|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}; these figures were revised down to {{convert|200–300|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name= "charlescity" 
/>

=== Longest damage path and duration ===
[[File:Radar collage of a long-lived supercell radar on December 10-11, 2021.png|thumb|Radar collage of the [[supercell]] that spawned the record-breaking [[tornado family]] on December 10–11, 2021]] The longest-known track for a single tornado is the [[1925 Tri-State tornado|Tri-State tornado]], occurring on March 18, 1925, with a path length of {{convert|151|to|235|mi|km|abbr=on}}. For years there was debate whether the originally-recognized path length of {{convert|219|mi|abbr=on}} over 3.5 hours was from one tornado or a series. Some very long track (VLT) tornadoes were later determined to be successive tornadoes spawned by the same supercell thunderstorm, which are known as a [[tornado family]]. The Tri-State tornado, however, appeared to have no gaps in the damage. A six-year reanalysis study by a team of severe convective storm meteorologists found insufficient evidence to make firm conclusions but does conclude that it is likely that the beginning and ending of the path was resultant of separate tornadoes comprising a tornado family. It also found that the tornado began {{convert|15|mi|abbr=on}} to the west and ended {{convert|1|mi|abbr=on}} farther east than previously known, bringing the total path to {{convert|235|mi|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} The {{convert|174|mi|abbr=on}} segment from central [[Madison County, Missouri]], to [[Pike County, Indiana]], is likely one continuous tornado, and the {{convert|151|mi|abbr=on}} segment from central [[Bollinger County, Missouri]], to western Pike County, Indiana, is very likely a single continuous tornado. Another [[Glossary of tornado terms#S|significant]] tornado was found about {{convert|65|mi|abbr=on}} east-northeast of the end of aforementioned segment(s) of the Tri-State tornado family and is likely another member of the family. Its path length of {{convert|20|mi|abbr=on}} over about 20 minutes makes the known tornado family path length total to {{convert|320|mi|abbr=on}} over about {{frac|5|1|2}} hours.<ref name="Johns">{{cite journal |last = Johns |first = Robert H. |author-link = Robert H. Johns |author2 = D. W. Burgess |author3 = C. A. Doswell III |author4 = M. S. Gilmore |author5 = J. A. Hart |author6 = S. F. Piltz |title = The 1925 Tri-State Tornado Damage Path and Associated Storm System |journal = e-Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology |volume = 8 |issue = 2 |year = 2013 |url = http://www.ejssm.org/ojs/index.php/ejssm/issue/view/44 |access-date = 2014-04-02 |archive-date = 2013-06-15 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130615230624/http://www.ejssm.org/ojs/index.php/ejssm/issue/view/44 |url-status = live }}</ref> [[Thomas P. Grazulis|Grazulis]] in 2001 wrote that the first {{convert|60|mi|abbr=on}} of the (originally recognized) track is probably the result of two or more tornadoes and that a path length of {{convert|157|mi|abbr=on}} was seemingly continuous.<ref name="Grazulis2001">{{cite book |last = Grazulis |first = Thomas P. |author-link= Thomas P. Grazulis |title = The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm |publisher = University of Oklahoma Press |year = 2001 |location = Norman, OK |url =https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz|url-access = registration |isbn = 0-8061-3258-2 }}</ref>

The [[2021 Western Kentucky tornado]] on December 10, 2021, is the longest confirmed track of a tornado.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Violent Tornado Outbreak of December 10-11, 2021 |url=https://www.weather.gov/pah/December-10th-11th-2021-Tornado |publisher=[[National Weather Service Paducah, Kentucky]]}}</ref> This violent tornado tracked {{cvt|165.7|mi|km}} through the states of [[Tennessee]] and [[Kentucky]] during a [[Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021|very intense late-season outbreak]]. The tornado was spawned by a very long-tracked [[supercell]] that previously dropped [[2021 Tri-State tornado|another violent tornado]] in [[Arkansas]], [[Missouri]] and [[Tennessee]], and initial media reports referred to the entire event as the "Quad-state Tornado", which would have had a path of {{cvt|230|mi|km}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Prociv |first1=Kathy |last2=Acevedo |first2=Nicole |date=11 December 2021 |title='Quad-State Tornado' crossed four states in four hours, a rare December tornado |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/quad-state-tornado-crossed-four-states-four-hours-leaving-trail-death-rcna8465 |publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref>

On March 22, 1953, a tornado touched down near [[Leesville, Louisiana]] at 21:00 [[UTC]]; the tornado continued into far-northwest [[Mississippi]], before dissipating north of [[Leland, Mississippi|Leland]], killing two and injuring 22. The tornado was rated F2 on the [[Fujita scale]]. It traveled for {{convert|234.7|mi|abbr=on}}, making it possibly the longest tracked tornado in history, though it is likely that the path consisted of multiple different tornadoes as part of a [[tornado family]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tornado Archive Data Explorer – Tornado Archive |url=https://tornadoarchive.com/home/tornado-archive-data-explorer/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222023047/https://tornadoarchive.com/home/tornado-archive-data-explorer/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Steve W. |date=2019-12-18 |title=NWS determines deadly tornado was a 400 yard-wide EF-3, 2nd longest in LA history |url=https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_958f3fd0-21bd-11ea-8aaa-bfd45f40c4e3.html |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=KJAS.COM |language=en |archive-date=2024-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221101623/https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_958f3fd0-21bd-11ea-8aaa-bfd45f40c4e3.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Longest path and duration tornado family ===
What at one time was thought to be the record holder for the longest tornado path is now thought to be the longest tornado family, with a track of at least {{convert|293|mi|km}} on May 26, 1917, from the Missouri border across Illinois into Indiana. It caused severe damage and mass casualties in [[Charleston, Illinois|Charleston]] and [[Mattoon, Illinois]].<ref name="Significant Tornadoes"/>

What was probably the longest track [[supercell]] thunderstorm tracked {{convert|790|mi|km}} across 6 states in 17.5&nbsp;hours on March 12, 2006, as part of the [[March 2006 tornado outbreak sequence]]. It began in [[Noble County, Oklahoma]], and ended in [[Jackson County, Michigan]], producing many tornadoes in Missouri and Illinois.<ref name="six state supercell">{{cite conference |first=Jason T. |last=Martinelli |title=A detailed analysis of an extremely long-tracked supercell |book-title=Preprints of the 33rd Conference on Radar Meteorology |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] and Australian Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre |date=August 2007 |location=Cairns, Australia |url=http://ams.confex.com/ams/33Radar/techprogram/paper_123052.htm |access-date=2007-06-02 |archive-date=2007-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926231051/http://ams.confex.com/ams/33Radar/techprogram/paper_123052.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Largest path width ===
{{main|List of tornadoes by width}}
Officially, the widest tornado on record is the [[El Reno, Oklahoma]] [[2013 El Reno tornado|tornado of May 31, 2013]], with a width of {{convert|2.6|mi|km}} at its peak. This is the width found by the National Weather Service based on preliminary data from University of Oklahoma RaXPol mobile radar that also sampled winds of {{convert|296|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, which was used to upgrade the tornado to EF5.<ref>{{cite web |title=The May 31-June 1, 2013 Tornado and Flash Flooding Event |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130531 |publisher=National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708005949/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130531 |archive-date=8 July 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, it was revealed that these winds did not impact any structures, and as a result the tornado was downgraded to EF3 based on damage.<ref>{{cite web|title=Event Details|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=453682|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|access-date=1 October 2013|archive-date=28 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928090455/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=453682|url-status=live}}</ref>

The F4 [[Hallam, Nebraska]], [[2004 Hallam tornado|tornado]] during the [[May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence|outbreak]] of May 22, 2004, was the previous official record holder for the widest tornado, surveyed at {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} wide. A similar size tornado struck [[Edmonson, Texas]] on May 31, 1968, when a damage path width between {{convert|2|and|3|mi|km}} was recorded from an F3 tornado.<ref>{{cite web|title=May 1968 Storm Data |publisher=[[National Climatic Data Center]] |url=http://www7.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/sd/sd.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503214406/http://www7.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/sd/sd.html |archive-date=May 3, 2011 }}</ref> Another tornado with a similar width struck [[Maxton, North Carolina|Maxton]] and [[Red Springs, North Carolina|Red Springs]] during the [[1984 Carolinas tornado outbreak|March 28, 1984, Carolina Tornado Outbreak]]; this tornado had a width of 2.5 miles wide at one point. Rated as F4, the tornado resulted in 3 fatalities and 280 injuries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=Carolinas Tornado Outbreak: March 28, 1984 |url=https://www.weather.gov/ilm/CarolinasOutbreak |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=www.weather.gov |language=EN-US |archive-date=2023-05-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504092933/https://www.weather.gov/ilm/CarolinasOutbreak |url-status=live }}</ref> The EF4 [[Jiangsu tornado]] on June 23, 2016, also had a peak width of 4.1&nbsp;km wide (2.5 miles).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Location-and-pathway-of-the-Funing-tornado-23-June-2016-A-Location-of-Funing-county_fig3_320313500|title=Figure 1. Location and pathway of the Funing tornado, 23 June 2016. (A).|access-date=2 July 2023|archive-date=2 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702191939/https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Location-and-pathway-of-the-Funing-tornado-23-June-2016-A-Location-of-Funing-county_fig3_320313500|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="twister.caps.ou.edu">{{Cite web |title=The Deadliest Tornado (EF4) in the Past 40 Years in China |url=http://twister.caps.ou.edu/papers/MengEtal_WAF2018.pdf |access-date=2023-07-02 |archive-date=2023-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422125635/https://twister.caps.ou.edu/papers/MengEtal_WAF2018.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 3, 1999, a Doppler On Wheels (DOW) mobile radar observed an F4 tornado as it crossed Mulhall during the [[1999 Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak]], which also produced the [[1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado|Bridge Creek–Moore tornado]]. The DOW documented the largest-ever-observed core flow circulation with a distance of {{convert|abbr=on|1600|m}} between peak velocities on either side of the tornado, and a roughly {{convert|abbr=on|7|km}} width of peak wind gusts exceeding {{convert|abbr=on|43|m/s|mph}}, making the Mulhall tornado the largest tornado ever measured quantitatively.<ref name="urban"/>

On April 21, 1946, a [[List of United States tornadoes in 1946#April 21 event|tornado]] struck the area in and around [[Timber Lake, South Dakota]]. The [[National Weather Service|U.S. Weather Bureau]] published a paper in 1946 stating the width of this tornado was {{convert|4|mi|km}}, which would make this the widest tornado ever documented in history. However, this is outside the period of reliable documentation accepted by the [[National Weather Service]], which is 1950–present.<ref name="April MWR">{{cite journal |journal=Monthly Weather Review |date=1 April 1946 |volume=74 |issue=4 |page=73 |doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1946)074<0073:SLSFA>2.0.CO;2 |doi-access=free |title=Severe Local Storms for April 1946 |bibcode=1946MWRv...74...73. }}</ref>

On [[Tornado outbreak sequence of May 19–27, 2024#May 19|May 19, 2024]], a large [[multiple-vortex tornado]] tracked {{cvt|15|mi|km}} over rural areas near [[Custer City, Oklahoma]]. While the tornado is believed to only have been about 1 mile wide, the maximum width of its tornadic windfield and accompanying damage was nearly {{cvt|3|mi|km}}, making it one of the largest recorded damage paths of any tornado.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/oun/events-20240519 |publisher=[[National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma]] |date=21 May 2024 |title=The May 19, 2024 Severe Weather Event }}</ref>

=== Smallest and shortest-lived damaging tornado ===
The smallest and shortest-lived tornado on record to produce surveyable damage was an EF1 tornado on the western side of [[Broken Bow, Nebraska]] on July 16, 2024. Spawned from an [[Outflow (meteorology)|outflow-driven]] supercell, a very brief tornado, seen by a chaser and a [[surveillance camera]], was recorded on the ground for only two seconds, having a listed maximum width of only {{convert|1|yards|meters}} and a listed path length of {{cvt|0.01|miles|meters}}. Despite this, it was powerful enough to lift and throw a {{cvt|800|lbs|kg}} trailer into a nearby parked car.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSLBF&e=202407181542 |title=NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR JULY 16, 2024 CUSTER COUNTY WIND AND TORNADO EVENT |date=18 July 2024 |publisher=National Weather Service North Platte, Nebraska }}</ref>

=== Highest forward speed ===
[[File:Pilger, NE tornadoes.jpg|thumb|Twin EF4 tornadoes in [[Pilger, Nebraska]] on June 16, 2014. The leftmost tornado would achieve the highest forward speed in history.]]
The highest accepted forward [[speed]] of an intense tornado on record was {{convert|75|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} from the [[1974 Guin tornado]] that tore across northwestern Alabama. Other weak tornadoes have approached or exceeded this speed, but this is the fastest forward movement observed in a major tornado.<ref name="Significant Tornadoes"/> The [[Tornado outbreak of April 1977#Birmingham–Smithfield, Alabama|1977 Birmingham tornado]] had an average forward speed of {{convert|60|mph|km/h|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web|editor-last1=Grazulis|editor-first1=Thomas P.|editor-last2=Grazulis|editor-first2=Doris|date=1998|url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/past/othralts.htm|title=Other Disastrous Birmingham Area Tornadoes|publisher=The Tornado Project of Environmental Films|location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603234750/http://www.tornadoproject.com/past/othralts.htm |archive-date=3 June 2011|accessdate=5 July 2024 }}</ref> as did the [[2021 Western Kentucky tornado]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Marshall |first1=Timothy |title=Damage Survey of the Mayfield, KY Tornado: 10 December 2021 |journal=30th Conference of Severe Local Storms |date=January 2022 |url=https://www.academia.edu/90132303 |access-date=17 November 2022 |archive-date=13 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213085034/https://www.academia.edu/90132303 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Weaker tornadoes and tornado vortices have been recorded exceeding these speeds. Subvortices of the [[2013 El Reno tornado]] were recorded to travel at speeds of {{cvt|175|mph|km/h}} as they orbited the main vortex; the fastest speed a separate tornado-producing mesocyclone has been recorded to travel at was determined via [[photogrammetry]] to be the junior EF4 of the [[2014 Pilger, Nebraska, tornado family]], travelling at {{cvt|94.6|mph|km/h}} for five seconds near the very end of its lifespan.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMws8ueXJ7U |people=[[Hank Schyma]], Dr. Anton Seimon, Dr. Tracie Seimon, Skip Talbot |date=3 December 2020 |access-date=8 December 2024 |publisher=[[Hank Schyma|Pecos Hank]] |website=youtube.com |format=[[YouTube]] video |title= FASTEST MOVING TORNADO - New World Record  }}</ref> These figures have not been acknowledged by the [[National Weather Service]].

Calculations of highest speeds from the [[National Centers for Environmental Information]] Storm Events Database gives a high [[Average speed|average forward speed]] of a significant tornado just west of [[Galt, Iowa]], on December 15, 2021, of between {{cvt|70.91|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and {{convert|88.65|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Storm Event Database 2021-12-15 18:19 CST-6 |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=993708 |publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information |access-date=8 January 2023 |archive-date=2023-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108015837/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=993708 |url-status=live }}</ref> This tornado occurred during the [[December 2021 Midwest derecho and tornado outbreak]], and was accompanied by straight-line winds approaching {{cvt|80|mph|km/h}}. A faster range can be calculated on an EF1 tornado south of [[Taylorville, Illinois]] on [[List of tornadoes in the tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023#Illinois (March 31)|March 31, 2023]], which traveled {{cvt|1.74|mi|km}} between 18:13 and 18:14, giving a range of forward speeds between {{cvt|52.2|mph|km/h}} and {{cvt|104.4|mph|km/h}}.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=1083270 |title=Storm Events Database (DVN survey HEWITTSVILLE, 2023-03-31 18:13 CST-6) |publisher=[[National Centers for Environmental Information]] |access-date=8 December 2024 }}</ref> Due to significant variability caused by the unspecific nature of the timestamps provided, these speed figures are unofficial.

=== Greatest pressure drop ===
A [[atmospheric pressure|pressure]] deficit of {{convert|100|mb|inHg|sigfig=3}} was observed when a violent [[2003 South Dakota tornado outbreak|tornado]] near [[Manchester, South Dakota]] on June 24, 2003, passed directly over an [[in-situ]] probe deployed by storm chasing researcher [[Tim Samaras]].<ref name="Manchester">{{cite conference |first=Julian J. |last=Lee |author2=T. P. Samaras |author3=C. R. Young |title=Pressure Measurements at the ground in an F-4 tornado |book-title=22nd Conf Severe Local Storms |publisher=American Meteorological Society |date=October 2004 |location=Hyannis, Massachusetts |url=http://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_81700.htm |access-date=2007-06-23 |archive-date=2011-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609164901/http://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_81700.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In less than a minute, the pressure plunged to 850 millibars (25.10 inHg) at ground level, widely regarded as the lowest reliably measured pressure inside a tornado and, when adjusted to sea level, comparable to the lowest pressures ever recorded in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title = World: Lowest Sea Level Air Pressure (excluding tornadoes) |work = World Weather / Climate Extremes Archive |publisher = Arizona State University |url = http://wmo.asu.edu/world-lowest-sea-level-air-pressure-excluding-tornadoes |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071112001042/http://wmo.asu.edu/world-lowest-sea-level-air-pressure-excluding-tornadoes |archive-date = 2007-11-12 }}</ref><ref name="Cerveny">{{cite journal |last = Cerveny |first = Randall S. |author2=J. Lawrimore |author3=R. Edwards |author4=C. Landsea  |title = Extreme Weather Records: Compilation, Adjudication, and Publication |journal = Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. |volume = 88 |issue = 6 |pages = 853–60 |date = 2007 |doi = 10.1175/BAMS-88-6-853 |bibcode = 2007BAMS...88..853C |doi-access = free }}</ref>

On April 21, 2007, a {{convert|194|mb|inHg|sigfig=3|adj=on}} pressure deficit was reported when a [[List of late-April 2007 tornado outbreak sequence tornadoes|tornado]] struck a [[storm chasing]] vehicle in [[Tulia, Texas]].<ref name="Tulia">{{cite journal |last= Blair |first= Scott F. |author2=D.R. Deroche |author3=A.E. Pietrycha |title= In Situ Observations of the 21 April 2007 Tulia, Texas Tornado |journal= [[Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology]] |volume= 3 |issue= 3 |pages= 1–27 |year= 2008 |url= |doi=10.55599/ejssm.v3i3.16|doi-access=free }}</ref> The tornado caused EF2 damage as it passed through Tulia. The reported pressure drop far exceeds that which would be expected based on theoretical calculations.<ref name="JAS3489">{{cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Wen-Chau|last2=Wurman|first2=Joshua|date=July 2005|title=Diagnosed Three-Dimensional Axisymmetric Structure of the Mulhall Tornado on 3 May 1999|journal=Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences|volume=62|issue=7|pages=2373–2393|doi=10.1175/JAS3489.1|doi-access=free|bibcode = 2005JAtS...62.2373L}}</ref>

There is a questionable and unofficial citizen's barometer measurement of a {{convert|192|mb|inHg|sigfig=3|adj=on}} drop around [[Minneapolis]] in 1904.<ref name="in-situ history">{{cite conference |first=Tim M. |last=Samaras |author-link=Timothy M. Samaras |title=A historical perspective of In-Situ observations within Tornado Cores |book-title=Preprints of the 22nd Conference on Severe Local Storms |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |date=October 2004 |location=Hyannis, MA |url=http://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_81153.htm |access-date=2007-06-03 |archive-date=2011-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115081005/http://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_81153.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Early tornadoes ==

=== Earliest-known tornado in Europe ===
* The earliest recorded tornado in Europe struck [[Freising]] (Germany) in 788.<ref>Dr. R. Hennig, Katalog bemerkenswerter Witterungsereignisse. Berlin 1904; Originalquellen: Aventinus (Turmair), Johannes (gest. 1534): Annales Boiorum. Mit Nachtrag. Leipzig 1710; Annales Fuldenses, Chronik des Klosters Fulda. Bei Marquard Freher: Germanicarum rerum scriptores ua Frankfurt aM 1600–1611)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tornadoliste Deutschland |url=https://tornadoliste.de/788 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211010300/https://tornadoliste.de/788 |archive-date=2018-12-11}}</ref>
* The earliest-known Irish tornado appeared on April 30, 1054, in Rostella, near [[Kilbeggan]]. The earliest-known British tornado hit central London on October 23, 1091, and was [[London tornado of 1091|especially destructive]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.torro.org.uk/whirlwind_info.php|title=TORRO – British & European Tornado Extremes|website=www.torro.org.uk|access-date=2019-05-08|archive-date=2015-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150802020732/http://www.torro.org.uk/site/whirlwind_info.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Earliest-known tornado in the Americas ===
* An apparent tornado is recorded to have struck [[Tlatelolco (altepetl)|Tlatelolco]] (present day [[Mexico City]]), on August 21, 1521, two days before the Aztec capital's fall to [[Hernán Cortés|Cortés]]. Many other tornadoes are documented historically within the [[Basin of Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last = Fuentes |first = Oscar Velasco |title = The Earliest Documented Tornado in the Americas: Tlatelolco, August 1521 |journal = [[Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society]] |volume = 91 |issue = 11 |pages = 1515–23 |date = November 2010 |doi = 10.1175/2010BAMS2874.1|bibcode = 2010BAMS...91.1515F |doi-access = free }}</ref>

==== First confirmed tornado and first tornado fatality in present-day United States ====
* August 1671 – [[Rehoboth, Massachusetts]]<ref name="The Tornado">{{cite book |last= Grazulis |first= Thomas P. |author-link= Thomas P. Grazulis |title= The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm |url= https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz |url-access= registration |publisher= [[University of Oklahoma Press]] |year= 2001 |location= Norman, OK |isbn= 0-8061-3258-2 }}</ref><ref name=usatoday>{{cite news|last=Erck|first=Amy|title=Answers archive: Tornado history, climatology|url=https://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/watorhty.htm|work=USA Today Weather|publisher=USA Today|access-date=9 July 2012|date=December 26, 2005|archive-date=20 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420001509/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/watorhty.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* July 8, 1680 – [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] – 1 death<ref name="Significant Tornadoes"/><ref name=tornadochaser>{{cite web|last=Baker|first=Tim|title=Tornado History|url=http://www.tornadochaser.net/history.html|publisher=tornadochaser.net|access-date=9 July 2012|archive-date=8 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708090515/http://www.tornadochaser.net/history.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Earliest-known tornado in Asia ===
* A tornado was observed in [[Kaifeng Prefecture]] during the summer of AD 967.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Song |website=Chinese Text Project |url=https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=120227 |access-date=2025-10-03 |quote='''[夏，京师雨，有黑龙见尾于云际，自西北趋西南。]''' |language=zh}}</ref>
* An apparent tornado caused severe damage in [[Heian-kyō]] in modern-day [[Kyoto]] on 1 June 1180,{{efn|[[Gregorian calendar]] date. 25 May in the [[Julian calendar]], and the 29th day of the fourth month, [[Jishō]] 4 in the old [[Japanese calendar]].}} which was recorded by Japanese author [[Kamo no Chōmei]], who personally experienced the tornado.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.yamanashi-ken.ac.jp/~itoyo/hojoki/hojoki2.htm|title=方丈記第二段|trans-title=Hōjōki Section Two|language=ja|publisher=[[Yamanashi Prefectural University]]|access-date=2024-06-28|archive-date=2023-05-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528230052/http://www2.yamanashi-ken.ac.jp/~itoyo/hojoki/hojoki2.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=災害に対する日本人のメンタリティ|language=ja|trans-title=The Mentality of the Japanese towards Disasters|last=Ōba|first=Hirokazu|year=2005|volume=36|pages=58–69|journal=危険と管理|publisher=Japan Risk Management Society|url=https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jarms/36/0/36_58/_pdf/-char/ja|doi=10.32300/jarms.0.36_58|access-date=2024-06-28|archive-date=2024-06-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240628161913/https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jarms/36/0/36_58/_pdf/-char/ja|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The earliest recorded tornado in continental Asia struck near the city of [[Calcutta]] in present-day [[West Bengal]], [[India]], in 1838. It was described as moving remarkably slow across its {{convert|16|mile|adj=on}} path southeast over the span of 2 to 3 hours. It was recorded to cause significant damage to the area, including {{convert|3.5|lb|adj=on}} hail being observed at the [[Dum Dum]] weather observatory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bangladeshtornadoes.org/climo/calc1888.html|title=Cal1888|access-date=2021-05-19|archive-date=2021-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418154450/http://bangladeshtornadoes.org/climo/calc1888.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== First published scientific studies of a tornado ===
A few scientists in Europe,<ref>{{cite journal  |last = Antonescu  |first = Bogdan  |author2 = D. M. Schultz  |author3 = F. Lomas  |author4 = T. Kühne  |title = Tornadoes in Europe: synthesis of the observational datasets  |journal = Mon. Wea. Rev.  |volume = 144  |issue = 8  |pages = 2445–2480  |date = 2016  |doi = 10.1175/MWR-D-15-0298.1 |bibcode = 2016MWRv..144.2445A |doi-access = free  }}</ref> the US, and elsewhere documented the occurrence of tornadoes in the late 18th and early-mid 19th centuries to try to discern [[Tornado climatology|patterns of distribution]] and sometimes with inferences about [[Tornadogenesis|formative processes]] and dynamics.

For intensive studies of tornadoes, these are the earliest known [[Scientific journal|publications]]:

* 1765: German scientist [[Gottlob Burchard Genzmer]] published a detailed survey of the damage path of an extremely violent tornado which occurred near [[Woldegk]], [[Germany]], on 29 June 1764. It covers the entire 33&nbsp;km (18.6&nbsp;mi) long track and also includes eyewitness reports as well as an analysis of the debris and hail fallout areas. Genzmer calls the event an "Orcan" and only compares it to [[waterspout]]s or [[dust devil]]s. Based on the damage survey, modern day meteorologists from the [[European Severe Storms Laboratory|ESSL]] gave an roughly estimated rating of F5.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Umständliche und zuverläßige Beschreibung des Orcans, welcher den 29ten Jun. 1764 einen Strich von etlichen Meilen im Stargardischen Kreise des Herzogthums Mecklenburg gewaltig verwüstet hat' - Digitalisat {{!}} MDZ |url=https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb11110409?page=5 |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=www.digitale-sammlungen.de |archive-date=2022-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212210644/https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb11110409?page=5 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=European Severe Weather Database |url=https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=eswd.eu |archive-date=2020-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815123540/https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1839–41: A detailed survey of the damage path of [[1835 New Brunswick, New Jersey tornado|the significant tornado]] that struck [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]], on 19 June 1835, was published. This tornado is also considered the deadliest tornado in New Jersey history. The path was surveyed by many scientists on account of its location between New York City and Philadelphia, including early tornado theorists [[James Pollard Espy]] and [[William Charles Redfield]]. Scientists disagreed whether there was whirling, convergent, or rotational motion. A conclusion that remains accurate today is that the most intense [[Tornado intensity|damage]] tends to be on the right side of a tornado (with respect to direction of forward movement), which was found to be generally easterly.<ref>{{cite journal  |last = Beck  |first = Lewis C.  |title = Note on the New Brunswick Tornado, or Water Spout of 1835  |journal = American Journal of Science and Arts  |volume = 36  |pages = 115–118  |date = July 1839 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal  |last = Redfield  |first = W. C.  |title = Whirling Action of the New Brunswick Tornado  |journal = American Railroad Journal  |volume = 12  |pages = 345–352  |date = June 1841 }}</ref>
* 1840: The earliest known intensive study of a tornadic event published in Europe, by French scientist Athanase Peltier.<ref>{{cite book  |last = Peltier  |first = Athanase  |title = Météorologie: Observations et recherches expérimentales sur les causes qui concourent à la formation des trombes  |publisher = H. Cousin  |location = Paris  |date = 1840  |oclc = 457395666  |language = fr }}</ref>
* 1865: The first in India and earliest known scientific survey of a tornado that analyzed structure and dynamics was published in 1865 by Indian scientist Chunder Sikur Chatterjee. The path damage survey of a tornado that occurred at Pundooah (now [[Pandua, Hooghly|Pandua]]), [[Hooghly district|Hugli district]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]], was documented on maps and revealed [[Multiple vortex tornado|multiple vortices]], the [[tornadocyclone]], and direction of rotation,<ref>{{cite journal  |last = De  |first = S.  |author2 =  A. K. Sahai  |title = Was the earliest documented account of tornado dynamics published by an Indian scientist in an Indian journal?  |journal = Weather  |date = 2019  |volume = 75 |issue = 4 |pages = 120–123 |doi = 10.1002/wea.3485 |s2cid = 149888981 }}</ref> predating work by [[John Park Finley]], [[Alfred Wegener]], [[Johannes Letzmann]], and [[Ted Fujita]].
<!-- To do: Add information about London Tornado in the 1000s and possibly the first photograph and video of a tornado -->

== Exceptional tornado droughts ==
{{See also|EF5 drought}}

=== Longest span without a tornado rated F5/EF5 in the United States ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Spans without an official F5/EF5 of more than 3.5 years
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Length in Years
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Length in Days
! scope="col" style="width:4%;"| Start of drought<ref name="SPCF5">{{cite web |title=F5 and EF5 Tornadoes of the United States |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f5torns.html |publisher=Storm Prediction Center |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=12 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230912012525/https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f5torns.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:4%;"| End of drought<ref name="SPCF5"/>
|-
| 3.921
| 1,431
| May 5, 1960
| April 3, 1964
|-
| 4.995
| 1,824
| April 4, 1977
| April 2, 1982
|-
| 4.786
| 1,747
| May 31, 1985
| March 13, 1990
|-
| 4.090
| 1,493
| June 16, 1992
| July 18, 1996
|-
| 8.005
| 2,922
| May 3, 1999
| May 4, 2007
|-
| 12.093
| 4,414
| May 20, 2013
| June 20, 2025
|}

Before the [[Greensburg tornado|Greensburg EF5 tornado]] on May 4, 2007, it had been eight years and two days since the United States had a confirmed F5/EF5 tornado, with the previous one being [[1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado|an F5 tornado]] that hit the southern [[Oklahoma City metropolitan area|Oklahoma City metro]] area and surrounding communities on [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak|May 3, 1999]]. This stretch was later surpassed by a drought which began on [[2013 Moore tornado|May 20, 2013]] and ended on June 20, 2025, after the National Weather Service and structural engineers conducted additional surveys on the [[Enderlin tornado|tornado that struck near Enderlin, North Dakota]], where they found wind speeds over {{convert|210|mph|km/h}} as a result of flipped and tossed train cars.

=== Years without tornado rated violent (F4/EF4+) in United States ===
2018 was the only year since official records began in 1950 that no tornado in the United States was rated in the violent class (F4/EF4+).<ref>{{cite news |last = Livingston |first = Ian |title = 2018 will be the first year with no violent tornadoes in the United States |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = December 26, 2018 |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2018/12/26/will-be-first-year-with-no-violent-tornadoes-united-states/ |access-date = February 11, 2019 |archive-date = February 12, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011223/https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2018/12/26/will-be-first-year-with-no-violent-tornadoes-united-states/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

== Exceptional survivors ==

=== Longest distance carried by a tornado ===
Matt Suter of [[Fordland, Missouri]] holds the record for the longest-known distance traveled by anyone picked up by a tornado who survived the ordeal. On March 12, 2006, he was carried {{convert|1307|ft|m}}, {{convert|13|ft|m}} shy of one quarter-mile (402 m), according to National Weather Service measurements.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 22, 2006 |title=Mo. Teen Survives Tornado, Confronts Media Storm |work=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2006-03-22-tornado-survivor_x.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=May 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316221045/https://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2006-03-22-tornado-survivor_x.htm |archive-date=March 16, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Forbes |first=Greg |date=March 20, 2006 |title=HE SURVIVED A RIDE IN A TORNADO! |work=[[The Weather Channel]] |url=http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_8982.html?from=blog_permalink_mainindex&ref=%2Fblog%2Fweather%2F&loc=interstitialskip |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023050804/http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_8982.html?from=blog_permalink_mainindex&ref=%2Fblog%2Fweather%2F&loc=interstitialskip |archive-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref>

While not officially reported as the longest distance, both the [[National Weather Service]] and tornado expert [[Thomas P. Grazulis]] document that the [[1976 Brownwood tornado|1976 Brownwood, Texas, F5 tornado]] picked up and threw two teenagers {{convert|1000|yd|m}}, with both surviving.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |author2=[[National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service]] |author3=[[National Climatic Data Center]] |editor1-last=Potter |editor1-first=Thomas D. |title=Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena |journal=Storm Data |date=April 1976 |volume=18 |issue=4 |page=14 |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |title=Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991 |date=July 1993 |publisher=The Tornado Project of Environmental Films |location=St. Johnsbury, VT |isbn=978-1-879362-03-1 |page=578}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=National Climatic Data Center |author2=National Centers for Environmental Information |title=Texas Event Report: F5 Tornado (Brown County) |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10129516 |website=Storm Event Database |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922035027/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10129516 |archive-date=22 September 2023 |language=English |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Exceptional coincidences==
{{more citations needed section|date=November 2023}}

===Arabi, Louisiana===
On March 22, 2022, [[Tornado outbreak of March 21–23, 2022#Gretna–Arabi–New Orleans East, Louisiana|an EF3 tornado]] struck [[Arabi, Louisiana]], a [[census-designated place]] in the [[New Orleans metropolitan area]]. On December 14 of that year, [[Tornado outbreak of December 12–15, 2022#December 14 event|another tornado]], rated EF2, affected many of the same areas, with the two tornado tracks overlapping in parts of [[Terrytown, Louisiana|Terrytown]] and [[Arabi, Louisiana|Arabi]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lucie |first=Devon |date=December 14, 2022 |title=Comparison: Arabi tornado took eerily similar path to storm earlier this year |url=https://www.wdsu.com/article/arabi-tornado-paths-compared/42248796 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215074029/https://www.wdsu.com/article/arabi-tornado-paths-compared/42248796 |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |access-date=December 16, 2022 |work=[[WDSU]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Barnsley, Kentucky===
The unincorporated community of [[Barnsley, Kentucky]] was hit twice by intense tornadoes less than three years apart from each other.

The violent [[2021 Western Kentucky tornado]] hit the community, destroying numerous homes, and in 2024, the city was struck again by an [[Tornado outbreak sequence of May 19–27, 2024#Eddyville–Crider–Charleston–Barnsley, Kentucky|EF3 tornado]] that impacted many of the same areas. Certain areas in Barnsley were affected by both tornadoes.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 May 2024 |title=Kentucky families struggling after being hit for a second time by a tornado in the same locations |url=https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-tornado-severe-weather-b8fd3a678e00fc09ea303c72d7b9d9ad |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611123046/https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-tornado-severe-weather-b8fd3a678e00fc09ea303c72d7b9d9ad |archive-date=11 June 2024 |access-date=26 June 2024 |publisher=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

===Chaffee, Kelso and Illmo, Missouri===
On April 30, 1940, two separate tornadoes, less than two hours apart, struck the communities of [[Chaffee, Missouri|Chaffee]], [[Kelso, Missouri|Kelso]] and [[Illmo, Scott City, Missouri|Illmo]], [[Missouri]].<ref name="Significant Tornadoes" /> [[Thomas P. Grazulis]] rated both tornadoes F2 on the Fujita scale and both tornadoes killed one person near Kelso.<ref name="Significant Tornadoes" />

===Chicago, Illinois===
[[Chicago]] is the largest city in the state of [[Illinois]] and the third most populated in the [[United States]], and had only seen six tornadoes between 1954 and 2023.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 July 2024 |title=Rare tornado impacted Chicago's Near West Side and Loop Monday, NWS confirms |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/rare-tornado-touch-down-chicago-near-west-side-loop-monday/3491732/ |publisher=[[WMAQ-TV]]}}</ref> However, on [[Severe weather sequence of July 13–16, 2024|July 14 and 15, 2024]], back-to-back outbreaks of weak (EF0 and EF1) tornadoes produced six within the city limits in a span of under 48 hours. The July 15 event, prompted by a [[derecho]], spawned 32 tornadoes in the [[National Weather Service Chicago, Illinois]] area of responsibility, tying the one-year record of 32 in a single day. The forecast area typically only sees 15 tornadoes per year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wetli |first1=Patty |date=3 September 2024 |title=Summer 2024 in Chicago Was One for the Weather Record Books — Not for Heat but for Tornadoes |url=https://news.wttw.com/2024/09/03/summer-2024-chicago-was-one-weather-record-books-not-heat-tornadoes |access-date=7 September 2024 |publisher=[[WTTW]]}}</ref>

===Codell, Kansas===
The small town of [[Codell, Kansas]], was hit by a tornado on the same date (May 20) three consecutive years: 1916, 1917, and 1918.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tornado Climatology |work=A Severe Weather Primer: Questions and Answers about Tornadoes |url=http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/tornado/tor_climatology.html |access-date=2007-03-09 |archive-date=2012-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320044359/http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/tornado/tor_climatology.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.tornadofacts.net/tornado-fun-facts.php Fun Tornado Facts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402170835/http://www.tornadofacts.net/tornado-fun-facts.php |date=2015-04-02 }} – Interesting and Fun Tornado Facts</ref> The United States has about 100,000 thunderstorms per year; less than 1% produce a tornado. The odds of this coincidence occurring again are extremely small.

===Dolores, Uruguay===
The small town of [[Dolores, Uruguay]], has been hit multiple times by intense tornadoes.

On November 25, 1985, the city was hit by an intense tornado rated as an F3.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A 35 años del tornado que destruyó buena parte de Dolores |url=https://www.entrelineas.info/articulo/1066/29628/a-35-anos-del-tornado-que-destruyo-buena-parte-de-dolores |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107020015/https://www.entrelineas.info/articulo/1066/29628/a-35-anos-del-tornado-que-destruyo-buena-parte-de-dolores |archive-date=2023-11-07 |access-date=2023-11-07}}</ref> On December 8, 2012, 27 years later, another intense tornado occurred in the outskirts of the city. On April 15, 2016, an EF3 tornado destroyed large portions of the city.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Deadly tornado rips through Uruguay town |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-36065602 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107020014/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-36065602 |archive-date=2023-11-07 |access-date=2023-11-07 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tornado de Dolores tuvo velocidad de 251 a 330 km/Hora {{pipe}} Portal Universidad de la República |url=http://www.universidad.edu.uy/prensa/renderItem/itemId/38803 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206142510/http://www.universidad.edu.uy/prensa/renderItem/itemId/38803 |archive-date=2021-12-06 |access-date=2023-11-07}}</ref>

===La Plata, Maryland===
{{See also|2002 La Plata tornado|Tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002}}

[[La Plata, Maryland|La Plata]] is a town in [[Charles County, Maryland|Charles County]], [[Maryland]], located well outside the climatologically favored area for tornadoes, let alone violent ones. Despite that, it has been struck several times.

On November 9, 1926, it was struck by a high-end F3 to F4 tornado that killed 13 school children, 4 townspeople, and injured some 65 others.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=The Washington Post, tornadoes in La Plata. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/04/30/not-la-platas-first-or-worst/63f19869-bd28-4934-8ab3-356c5dfa6562/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 April 2022 |title=1926 Tornado La Plata |url=https://wtop.com/maryland/2022/04/20-years-after-deadly-tornado-la-plata-set-to-commemorate-tragedy-recovery/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240628161923/https://wtop.com/maryland/2022/04/20-years-after-deadly-tornado-la-plata-set-to-commemorate-tragedy-recovery/ |archive-date=28 June 2024 |access-date=28 April 2024}}</ref>

67 years later on July 27, 1994, it was struck again by two nonfatal twisters that came only 11 minutes apart.<ref name=":1" /> The first of them was rated F2, which is already uncommon for that greater area.

On [[Tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002|April 28, 2002]], La Plata was struck by another violent and extremely fast-moving [[2002 La Plata tornado|F4 tornado]] that initially received a preliminary rating of F5, making it, for a brief period, the easternmost F5 tornado in the United States. Not only that, but shortly before the F4 passed through downtown La Plata, eyewitness accounts indicated that a [[Tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002|second F2 tornado]] formed a quarter of a mile south of the primary one. Between 7:02 and 7:07&nbsp;p.m., both tornadoes crossed through the heart of La Plata, devastating the town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Plata MD F4 Tornado - 20 Years Later |url=https://www.weather.gov/lwx/events_20020428 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219020004/http://www.weather.gov/lwx/events_20020428 |archive-date=2023-12-19 |access-date=2024-04-28}}</ref>

The most recent tornado to have struck the town was an EF1 on [[Tornadoes of 2017#February 25|February 25th, 2017]].

===Moore, Oklahoma===
{{see also|List of tornadoes in Cleveland County, Oklahoma}}

The southern [[Oklahoma City]] suburb of [[Moore, Oklahoma]], was hit by violent tornadoes (which have ratings of at least F/EF4) in [[1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado|1999]], [[May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence#Oklahoma City area (F4)|2003]], [[Early-May 2010 tornado outbreak#Moore–Choctaw tornado|2010]], and [[2013 Moore tornado|2013]]. The 1999 and 2013 events were rated F5 and EF5, respectively.

In total, about 25 tornadoes have struck within the immediate vicinity of Moore since 1890, the most recent of which was an EF3 tornado occurring during the overnight hours of [[Tornado outbreak of November 2–5, 2024#November 3 event|November 3, 2024]]. It injured six in northeastern Moore before lifting less than 2 miles away from Tinker Air Force Base.<ref>{{cite report|author=National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma|title=Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=1224841|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2024|access-date=February 18, 2024}}</ref>

===Shreveport, Louisiana===
A lesser-known hotspot for tornadic activity is [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]] and its neighbouring town, [[Bossier City, Louisiana|Bossier City]], [[Louisiana]].

Downtown Shreveport has been hit multiple times by powerful tornadoes, including once in February 1912 (rated F3),<ref>{{cite web |title=This Day in Weather History: February 20th |url=https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_Feb_20 |access-date=22 July 2024 |publisher=National Weather Service Aberdeen, South Dakota}}</ref> April 1964 (rated F3),<ref>{{cite web |title=Storm Events Database |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10029718 |publisher=[[National Centers for Environmental Information]]}}</ref> April 1978 (rated F2),<ref>{{cite web |title=Storm Events Database |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10032233 |publisher=[[National Centers for Environmental Information]]}}</ref> December 1978 (rated F4),<ref>{{cite web |last=Edwards |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Edwards (meteorologist) |author2=J. Schaefer |title=Downtown Tornadoes |url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/downtown.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215154556/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/downtown.html |archive-date=2006-02-15 |access-date=2006-03-28 |publisher=[[Storm Prediction Center]]}}</ref> April 2000 (rated F1),<ref>{{cite web |title=Storm Events Database |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5139986 |publisher=[[National Centers for Environmental Information]]}}</ref> April 2009 (rated EF2),<ref>{{cite web |title=Storm Events Database |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=154454 |publisher=[[National Centers for Environmental Information]]}}</ref> October 2009 (rated EF2),<ref>{{cite web |title=Storm Events Database |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=197786 |publisher=[[National Centers for Environmental Information]]}}</ref> and April 2018 (rated EF1).<ref>{{cite web |title=Storm Events Database |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=743585 |publisher=[[National Centers for Environmental Information]]}}</ref>

===1974 Super Outbreak ===
[[Ted Fujita]] documented that five cities had been hit by more than one tornado during the Super Outbreak: [[Etowah, Tennessee]], [[Livingston, Tennessee]], [[Cleveland, Tennessee]], [[Tanner, Alabama]], and [[Harvest, Alabama]].<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/iln/events/19740403/FujitaStats.pdf |title=Statistics of April 3–4, 1974 tornadoes |first1=T. Theodore |last1=Fujita |authorlink=Ted Fujita }}</ref>

===Tanner/Harvest, Alabama===
[[Tanner, Alabama|Tanner]], a small town in northern Alabama, was hit by an F5 tornado on [[1974 Super Outbreak|April 3, 1974]] and was struck again 45 minutes later by a second F5 (however, the rating is disputed and it may have been high-end F4), demolishing what remained of the town.

Thirty-seven years later, on [[2011 Super Outbreak|April 27, 2011]] (the largest and deadliest outbreak since 1974), Tanner was hit yet again by the EF5 [[2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado]], which produced high-end EF4 damage in the southern portion of town.

The suburban community of [[Harvest, Alabama]], just to the northeast, also sustained major impacts from all three Tanner tornadoes, and was also hit by destructive tornadoes in [[1995 Anderson Hills tornado|1995]] and [[March 2–3, 2012 tornado outbreak|2012]].

=== Tinker Air Force Base, OK ===
{{See also|1948 Tinker Air Force Base tornadoes}}
On March 20, 1948, an unpredicted line of storms hit the area, producing an F3 tornado that hit areas of south [[Oklahoma City]], hitting [[Tinker Air Force Base]] at the end of its life, damaging many aircraft. This caused a 3-day investigation at the base on why it was so poorly forecasted.

On March 25, meteorologists noted that conditions were very similar to March 20 and issued a forecast for thunderstorms. As the day wore on and conditions became more favorable (with a developing squall line detected on radar), meteorologists Ernest J. Fawbush and [[Robert C. Miller]] issued the first ever official tornado forecast. That night, another F3 tornado struck the base, though was less damaging thanks to the advance warning. This was the first successful tornado forecast in history, even though much of it was due to chance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-06-22 |title=Tinker Airmen first to predict tornadoes |url=https://www.tinker.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/388450/tinker-airmen-first-to-predict-tornadoes/ |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Tinker Air Force Base |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{portal|Tornadoes}}
* [[Weather records]]
* [[List of tropical cyclone extremes]]
* [[Tornado myths]]
* [[List of F5, EF5, and IF5 tornadoes]]
* [[List of F4, EF4, and IF4 tornadoes]]
* [[List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
** [[List of tornado outbreaks by outbreak intensity score]]
* [[List of tornadoes with confirmed satellite tornadoes]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.cimms.ou.edu/~doswell/tornado_records/tornado_records.html More on tornadoes: Records, the Fujita scale, and our observations] by [[Chuck Doswell]]
* [http://wmo.asu.edu/#tornado Tornado Records from the Global Weather & Climate Extremes] ([[World Meteorological Organization]])

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